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Pork Chops with Mustard and Capers

Recipe #3 for me from Simple by Diana Henry, the cookbook of the month in Facebook’s Food52 Cookbook Club, was Pork Chops with Mustard and Capers.

This was another winner. Simple to make, a minimum number of ingredients and none of them so fancy or ethnic that they required me to go to more than one store. Although the photo in the book exaggerated the number of capers used, I’ve made a note to add more the next time I make this. So far, that’s twice, just like the Huervos Rotos recipe.

Making this dish reminded me that I figured I knew what capers are and prompted me to look online to find out if I was right. I had thought that they were the fruit of a nasturtium plant but no. They are the flower buds from the Capparis spinosa bush which are dried, then pickled and bottled so I can use them in salads and anything piccata and in this recipe.

Here goes.

Get the pork chops and season them.

Seasoned pork chops.

Heat the oil in the fry pan and start cooking those chops.

Into the fry pan.

While the meat is cooking, measure the mustard and capers.

Dijon mustard and capers.

No Vermouth here today, so white wine is substituting.

White wine.

One side nicely browned. Flip the pork chops over.

One side done.

Now the other side is browned too.

The other side done.

Afer 10 minutes in the oven, the fat is pored off and de-glazing begins. Pour in the wine and scrape all the flavourful bits off the pan.

Deglaze the pan (one of two whatfoodimade action shots™ today!).

Boil and stir the wine until the liquid has reduced by half.

Reduced wine.

Add the cream and contine to stir and cook…

Adding the cream (the second of two whatfoodimade action shots™ today!).

…until the back of a spoon is coated.

Back of spoon, coated.

Off the heat, add the mustard and capers.

Add the mustard and capers.

Make an attempt at photographing the pan like the cover of the British version of the book. Wonder how tall other photographers are.

Obligatory overhead shot.

Quit goofing around and serve the delicious Pork Chops with Mustard and Capers.

Heat the oil in a large ovenproof frying pan (or two smaller pans) over a high heat. Season the chops all over and cook them for two minutes on each side; you want them good and golden. Now brown the fat, too. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for 12 minutes.

Wearing good oven gloves and being careful of the hot pan handle, pour the fat out of the pan; put the chops on a warm plate and cover to keep warm. Add the Vermouth to the pan. Bring to the boil and reduce by half, stirring to pick up all the browned savoury bits on the pan, then pour in the cream. Boil until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Take it off the heat, whisk in the mustard and add the capers. Taste: it’s a strong sauce but it works well with the pork.